


Seeing Red

by LadyAnput



Series: Of Bats, Birds, And Bugs [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Crime Fighting, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mild Gore, Oral Sex, Other, Past Character Death, Propositions, Rough Sex, Sexual Abuse, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:10:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21842650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAnput/pseuds/LadyAnput
Summary: The companion to S'eeing Green'. A story that run parallel to it and follows Evangeline and Jason.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Of Bats, Birds, And Bugs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531742
Comments: 28
Kudos: 219





	1. The Proposition

Evangeline sat on her hotel bed, her head in his hands as she felt her head throb hard. Today had been far too eventful for her liking, and she had nearly lost Marinette to that stupid Two Face villian. Eva had never been more terrified than seeing that gun pressed to Marinette's head, the trigger just inches from being pulled. It was only their second day in Gotham and they were already running into trouble.

"-And so I'm heading down."

Eva blinked and looked up, staring at Caline Bustier, who stood before her in a lovely little black dress and kitty heels. 

"What?" Eva croaked out, her eyes feeling heavy in her skull. She just wanted to sleep, to forget about today. 

"I said that the students invited me down for dinner, so I'm heading down." Caline repeated patiently, smiling at the TA as she grabbed her purse. "I'll be back up in a few hours." 

They had invited Caline, but not Evangeline. They never did, she was pretty sure the kids hated her, ever since she supported Marinette on her first day at that school. Well, except Adrien, he was a sweet boy, though a bit clueless on how the real world should work. But Eva did find herself pitying the boy… 

"Have fun." She spoke, watching her mentor leave, before standing. Perhaps she should go check on Marinette, lord only knows that Caline hadn't checked on the girl after her near death experience, thinking that she was 'strong and independent, fully capable of handling herself'. 

When she had first said that to Eva, she had wanted to spit on the French woman. But, of course, she had withheld, not wanting another lecture of keeping her temper in check while in Paris.

Once Caline was gone, Eva heard a soft tapping noise. Her brows drew together as she glanced around the room, trying to locate the noise, before drawing close to the window. Just behind that curtain, that was where the tapping noise was coming from.

Could it be a tree branch? No, she was on one of the higher floors. And it couldn't be a bird, it had a rhythm to it. Her body tensing up, prepared to bolt if she had to, she pulled open the curtains.

Only to see a man suspended in midair just outside her window. It took everything in Eva not to scream as she scrambled back from the window. It took her a few minutes to realize it was Red Hood that was dangling outside. Giving him a withering glare, Eva stormed up to the window and shoved it open.

"Are you trying to be a fucking stalker and give me a heart attack?" She snapped as Red Hood took the moment to slid into the room.

"No, I thought I'd drop by and see if you were okay. You did a gutsy move today." Red Hood crossed his arms, glancing around the room. "Small space."

"Yeah, well, the school couldn't exactly afford high-end suites." Eva responded dryly as she watched the vigilante carefully. "Not to be rude, but this could be considered creepy on so many levels; find a woman's hotel room and sneaking in through her window."

"Well I assure you, I'm not trying to be creepy." Red Hood shrugged, then crossed his arms. Eva couldn't help but notice the muscles in those arms, then found herself blushing when she remembered how it had felt being pinned under him at the mall earlier.

God, she really needed to get laid.

"Well you're doing a terrible job at it. Listen, is there something you need, Mr. Hood?" Eva eyed him once again, then promptly turned back to the vanity, taking her hair out of its bun carefully. "Because I've had a very long day and I'd like some sleep."

"I wanted to take you out for an evening stroll." He shrugged, then reached out and took her hand, giving a dramatic now. "A reward for your balls of steel today."

Eva's brows rose, as she weighed her options. On one hand, he could maybe kidnap her or plan to sell her into some sort of smuggling ring, but on the other hand Marinette told everyone she wanted to be left alone tonight, so Eva's only company would be Caline when she gets back. Yeah, the kidnapping was a preferable thing to choose.

"What would be on the agenda?" Eva crossed her arms, mimicking his stance as she felt herself smirk. "Gonna make me watch you beat up a bunch of baddies, hoping I'll get wet simply from the testosterone radiating off of you?"

The choking sound he made was beyond satisfying, a chuckle escaping her before she could stop it. Red Hood straightened and went to the window, pushing it open once again.

"Listen, I just thought you'd like a bit of fun before you head back to boring ol Paris, okay? So you wanna come or not?" He held out a hand to her. After a moment's hesitation, Eva reached out and took his hand.

\---

Jason had to admit, he wasn't entirely sure why he went after his woman. Maybe it was that 'no bullshit' attitude she seemed to have when he confronted her back at the mall. Maybe he was simply being a hot blooded male and her ass had been on his mind a lot today. Or that he wondered if she had a pretty smile. Ah, the mysteries of life.

Red Hood wrapped an arm around Eva’s waist, her wrapping her arms around his neck in return. He quickly landed near the more questionable parts of Gotham, where he usually dwelled. He set her down on a ledge of one of those multiple stories with the weird gargoyles on them. He motioned for her to wait, before he jumped down into the alley. 

Eva frowned and brushed some snow off of the roof and took a seat next to one of the gargoyles closest to the building, pulling her knees to her chest. She had to be insane to come here, but the sight of the lit up Gotham was a pretty one. She was so caught up in the sight, she barely noticed when Red Hood landed back on the roof and handed her one of the bottles of beer he was holding. 

“Thanks stud.” Eva shot him a dry smile before cracking open the beer and taking a swig. She watched as he sat on the other side of the gargoyle, hiding most of his body, then listened as he cracked open his beer and took a swig. “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like this.”

“What? Have a beer?” Jason’s brows shot up, but a smirk played at his lips. He stared down at the brown bottle in his hand and chuckled to himself. “You never just sit and have a beer?”

“Not really. I try not to drink often, I don’t wanna fall into the habits my father did.” She muttered, glaring down at the bottle, but took another swig and leaned back against the cold, damp stone of the building. “But what I meant was I don’t really get to relax like this. I always have to be this high strung bitch because the supposed teacher of my class is shit at her job.”

“You wanna talk about it? I mean, you ran in after one of those students today and nearly got shot, you looked like you could have used some relaxing or ranting. Shit, maybe I should have taken you somewhere to beat the shit out of someone, that always makes me feel better when I’m pissed off.”

There was a heavy silence in the air before he heard her let out a defeated sigh.

“You know the French class that won that big contest Bruce Wayne hosted a few months ago? I’m the TA for that class, but I wish to God that I could be their teacher because the one they have doesn’t do jack shit. She actually has the nerve to tell everyone to get along, she doesn’t reprimand bullies, and she knows this bitch of a brat Lila is lying, but she is convinced that it’s some disease that causes her to lie. It’s a disease alright, it’s called being a fucking psychopath! She’s accused me of being a pedophile before!” Eva threw her hands up in the air, feeling her anger rise. Every part of her was suddenly telling her to shove it down, to stomp on it before those flames could blaze, but she let herself get angry, truly angry. She wasn’t in Paris, Hawkmoth couldn't reach her here. “She causes so many fucking akumas, but no one wants her to get akumatized, but there will always be akumas, there’s never not a fucking akuma in Paris! But hey, you think they'd put that in the brochure or something so that a young Canadian teacher who wishes to strengthen her French by going to France, the girl would not choose Paris, but noooo, that’d be bad for tourism, not the literal fucking supervillian that has made it so that Parisians can’t cope with their anger anymore because they’ve been groomed to never be angry ever!”

Jason closed his eyes and listened to this woman rant about stuff that had probably been on her chest for a long time. He smiled when he heard her chug her beer, then sighed. He began to take a swig of his own beer.

“I think maybe I just need a good, rough fuck. Maybe then I’d feel better.”

Her words nearly made him spit out his beer, but he forced himself to swallow. 

“Why would you want that?” He asked after coughing for a minute, setting down his beer. He felt his cheeks heat up as his mind wandered to less than savoury places.

“Because then maybe I’d unwind a bit. I’m always so worried or stressed lately, especially with Marinette almost getting akumatized last month thanks to that class of hers…”

He watched as she walked towards the edge of the ledge, setting a hand on a snow covered gargoyle. She could have looked back, could have seen his face, but she didn’t. Jason smiled at that and put his helmet back on. Slowly, he made his way up beside her, setting a hand on her shoulder.

“Why did you run after that girl today? You know that was pretty reckless.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Because I care about her. Not too many are caring about her right now and every part of my body is telling me to be there for this girl, to be… To be a part of her team. Her entire class excludes her, she’s this social outcast, save for the rest of the school who aren’t sharing one fucking braincell.” Eva sighed and turned, allowing Jason to stare deep into those vibrant purple eyes of hers. “I’m sorry, I went over all of my issues, but I didn’t let you talk once. That wasn’t fair.”

“I have brothers I can vent to, don’t worry about it. Besides, hearing you talk is kinda nice.” He shrugged, then blinked when there was a faint darkening to her eyes. 

“Tell me, Mr. Red Hood…” Eva smiled and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. She could feel the warmth radiating off of his body and it made her shiver in delight. “Why would you bring lil ol me to a roof and get me some alcohol? Hoping to get lucky with a foreign girl?” 

Her smile widened as she listened to him sputter, taking a step back, but grabbing the lapels of his jacket and tugging him along with her.

“I have a proposition for you. I want a week of fun, no strings, kinky as we want sex. I know you don’t know me, and I sure as hell don’t know you… But, what do you say?” At his silence, she let out a chuckle and leaned closer. “Unless you don’t think you can handle it.”

He was silent for the longest time. So long that Eva’s alcohol buzzed brain began to panic. Wait, what if he was ace or gay? Or was already in a relationship? He didn’t know her, why the fuck would he-

“You really sure you want this?” Red Hood leaned close, grabbing her wrists and giving them a light squeeze. “I’m not some gentle giant.”

“Oh, I certainly hope you aren’t.” Eva let out a lustful purr before she could stop herself. 

“... Tomorrow night, I’ll be there around six thirty, got it? I’m taking you somewhere and we can work all of these pent up emotions out of you.” He hissed at her softly, making her tremble. “No excuses.”

“No excuses.” She agreed and grinned.

He took her back to the hotel, giving her a playful bow before he went back out into Gotham, disappearing into the night. Eva smiled as she kept the window open, watching him go.

“Evangeline! What are you doing with the window open, it’s freezing!” Caline snapped as soon as she stepped into the room, scowling at the TA. Eva didn’t respond as she shut the window, the dopey smile still on her face.


	2. The First Time

To say Evangeline really fucking hated Miss Bustier’s class was the understatement of the fucking century.

Well, hate was probably a strong word, though it definitely applied to Lila Rossi. Imagine the T.A’s surprise when she arrived in the hotel’s lobby with Caline, only to find the class divided and looked ready to brawl right there in front of everyone, while Damian seemed to be ushering Marinette away from the growing chaos.

“Good morning, everyone! Are you all prepped for your free day?” Caline strode forward, leaving Eva standing there, carrying all of the important files and bags. Just another day in paradise.

When Damian caught her eye, she motioned for him to leave, to get Marinette away from all of this. The girl didn’t need to be in the middle of another class meltdown, not after having a gun to her head yesterday. Eva shivered when she remembered the bullet that had barely whizzed past her own head and would have possibly taken her life if not for Red Hood.

_ Red Hood… _

It took everything in her not to flush at the mere thought of him. Had she really prepositioned him last night for sex? Well, if he hadn’t wanted it, he could have simply said no, so she shouldn’t fret.

But she was definitely fretting.

“Evangeline, you agree right?” Caline’s voice broke through Eva’s thoughts of Red Hood’s strong hands and made her blink in surprise as she came into focus. 

“Huh?” Eva tilted her head ever so slightly, trying her best not to slap the condescending look on Caline’s face. A pity the teacher had such a pretty face, if she’d had a better character then Eva would have most likely asked her out. 

“You think a picnic would be good in the city park, right?” Caline’s tone took on a sugary sweetness, obviously hinting at Eva’s compliance. “It could be so much fun.”

“... Caline, it’s the middle of the fucking winter. It is not the time of year for a fucking picnic.” Eva said dryly, then scoffed when Caline sent her a warning look. “Besides, I already have plans, and it’s a free day for the kids. Let them scatter around like rats and have fun.”

Many of the students voiced their agreements, eager to be let off of their leashes and be left to run wild. Yeah, Eva was going to make sure to shut off her phone today, so that she wouldn’t have to clean up any of their messes up. She was done with doing Bustier’s job for her, it was an act that had gotten old months ago.

“What plans?” Alya spoke up as she crossed her arms and cocked a hip, sneering now. “Off to stalk Marinette? I don’t know what you and her are planning, but you’re not stealing Damian away from Lila.”

Eva said nothing, but shot a meaningful look to Nino before she plopped all of the stuff she was carrying right into Caline’s arms. She heard faint snickering from Alix and Kim when the two of them caught the dumbstruck look on their teacher’s face as Eva turned on her heel and strode right out of the hotel, hailed a cab and took off without looking back once.

“I’m in love.” Kim joked, earning a sharp elbow jab from Juleka before the class dispersed, ignoring Bustier’s calls for certain students. It was their free day and they were finally going to have some fun.

Eva settled back in the seat of the cab and watched the lift of Gotham from her window. It was such a bustling town, despite the whole super villains and vigilantes roaming the nights, but it was sort of exciting. Well, mostly for only her, the people she came with were very desensitized to that sort of thing, thanks to Hawkmoth.

Evangeline closed her eyes and let her mind wander to Marinette, feeling tense. She had let Marinette go out into a strange city with a rich boy that they barely knew. That went against every logical bone in Eva’s body, but she just couldn’t help it, something in her gut told her that Damian was safe, though that feeling fought against the warning bells in the Canadian’s head.

Though she was probably the biggest hypocrite of them all, heading off to meet one of Gotham’s vigilantes, who’s identity she did not know, and was going to hook up with him because she hadn’t had sex in a few years. 

Oh yes, Evangeline, very good direction to take. She felt stupid upon realizing how ridiculous this plan was. Maybe she should just cancel the entire thing, maybe she should just go back to the hotel and get drunk for the day. 

But before she could make any moves to do so, she realized she was already downtown and walking down an alleyway, towards the location Red Hood had told her to go to. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps. Turning, she saw him striding up to her, hands casually in his pockets.

"Glad you didn't chicken out." Eva grinned as she made his way towards him, before eyeing the fire escape they were standing beside. "Why did you take me here though?"

"My apartment's here, thought it would be easier for you to get some privacy, since you're rooming with the crazy teacher, right?" He motioned for her to start climbing up, before he followed suit. He silently thanked whatever gods were in play that there was no one around. If anyone saw Eva with Red Hood, there'd most likely be a target on her back.

He opened the window to his apartment with ease, letting her climb inside after he made sure the coast was clear. It was a bare bones apartment; minimal furniture, barely used kitchen, a fridge that was mostly empty save for a pack of beers and some leftover Chinese. 

"I don't actually live here. I just kinda use this to escape away from my family when it gets too much." He admitted as he watched Eva wander around the place, just taking everything in. He found himself smiling as he saw her face light up at the sight of his many shelves of books. "So that way if you get kidnapped, you can't give away my location."

He instantly regretted saying it, but visibly relaxed when she let out a laugh, her shoulders shaking as she became a mess of giggles.

"Trust me, stud, I'm not afraid of being kidnapped, it's happened to be a few times before." She shrugged as she made her way back over to him as he shut the window and pulled closed the blinds. "Listen, I'm not… I haven't done anything like this before."

"Done what? Sex?" Jason decided to ask about her first statement later, tilting his head as Eva seemed flustered, then set her hands on his chest.

"No, I mean, spontaneous sex things. My experiences have been pretty vanilla." Eva felt even more embarrassed, because with his fucking helmet she couldn't tell what the man was thinking. She kept her hands on his chest, feeling the heat of his skin practically radiating through his clothes. "I mean, I know how to have sex, don't worry."

"I'll admit, it was the sexiest thing ever when you said you wanted me as some kind of gigolo." He joked, cupping her face in his hands. Eva had to resist from shivering, her eyes fluttering shut momentarily. "Helps that you're obviously mentally sound, and pretty fucking sexy."

"Mmm, you're pretty sexy too, despite me not being allowed to see your face." She tapped on his helmet playfully, her lips curving into a playful smile, her body relaxing. "I mean, those arms of yours. I bet they could crush me…"

Jason grinned and pulled her closer, so their bodies were pressed tightly together. He wanted so badly to kiss those red lips of hers, but he knew his identity was a big thing that he just couldn’t give out to a total stranger. 

“But I guess we don’t have to just right into the messy sex.” Eva hummed as she rubbed herself up against him, biting her lower lip. “Heavy petting is allowed, it would be a shame if it wasn’t right?”

“With your body, it certainly would.” Red Hood took her over to his bed, taking a seat and pulled her onto his lap. He slid his hands along her slim waist, before giving her wide hips a rough squeeze. “But before we do anything, we’ll need a safe word, doll.”

“Hmm…” Eva sat back, straddling the vigilante as she thought it over, before she set a soft kiss on his neck, leaving a faint imprint of red lipstick. She was half tempted to say ‘ Lila’ as that was a person who could kill a mood with a mere mention of her name. But that would probably be seen as creepy, so she decided against it. “How about ‘strawberry’? Easy to remember, doesn’t sound like many other words.”

“Any rules? I don’t want to cross any lines.” Red Hood halted his groping hands, watching the woman as her face turned more rosy. He pulled back, feeling that maybe he was rushing her. “And yeah, we don’t have to rush into anything. Your class is only here for a week right?”

“Not really any rules. Um… I don’t like slapping, or being called rude names. It’s kind of a turn off when there’s degrading or shaming…” Eva’s voice was shaky when she felt his erection pressing up against her, her body giving a delightful shiver. “Is that okay?”

“Don’t worry, doll, I won’t hurt you.” He assured, then blinked when she dropped to her knees and knelt between his legs. “What are you doing?”

“Well, I don’t want to get too messy. I was invited to dinner tonight and I don’t want to be a mess.” She shrugged and leaned close. Red Hood watched in stunned silence as she unzipped his pants with her teeth and got his cock free. He didn’t miss the lustful glint that flashed in her purple eyes or how her hot breath brushed over the hot member. He bit back a groan at the erotic sight of her leaning close and kissing the tip, then her tongue flicked over the tip, a soft moan escaping those soft lips of hers. He knew right then that she’d be the death of him.

Eva mewled as she tasted the saltiness of him, pressing her thighs together to keep herself calm. She got to licking the length, feeling a sense of pride at the noises he was making as she got to work. She could feel every throb against her tongue, then quickly took it into her mouth and felt it twitch. She began to slowly suck and bob her head, her lashes fluttering as the lust just overtook her, making her body hot and uncomfortable. But she knew she couldn’t rush this, that she had to get to know this body of his first. 

“Fuck, doll, that feels…” Red Hood let out a shuddering breath, then vividly cursed when she took the entire length into her mouth, her lips meeting the base. Her head kept swiftly bobbing, slowly forming a red ring of lipstick around the base. His hands twitched, wanting so badly to grasp her hair and thrust, but he withheld from doing such, not wanting to hurt her. So he merely fisted to sheets under him and let her continue to pleasure him with that sinfully warm mouth of hers. “Doll, I’m gonna finish, I’d pull back.”

Then the woman decided to stun him by meeting his gaze with steely determination and redoubled her efforts. When he came, he was even more stunned when he heard her swallow. When she finally did pull back, she was heavily panting, her cheeks flushed red and her hands tightly gripping his thighs.

“Fuck, you’re a delicious man.” Eva purred out, fluttering her lashes in a playful manner. But when she was greeted in silence, she felt a faint panic settle in. Shit, she had moved too fast, hadn't she? She ducked her head when she sat back, then bit her lower lip hard. “I’m sorry, I shoul-”

“Get on the bed, lie on your stomach and put your face in the pillow.” The rough voice that left him startled her, but instantly made her body heat up. She shakily stood and did as asked. In the tense silence, she didn’t look at him, just stared at the headboard of the bed as she heard a noise similar to compressed air being released. Eva then felt the bed dip and felt his hands grasp her pants. She lifted her hips and allowed him to tug them down, along with her panties. A whimper left her when she felt his hand slide up her thigh, then dipped between her legs. Once two of his fingers sank into her, she began to tremble. “Fuck, doll, you’re… Perfect.”

Jason felt a bit of pride as he fingered her and watched her body react. He listened to her breathing quicken, watched as her hips writhed from the pleasure as he toyed slowly with her clit. It took everything in him not to take her right then. No, he had to return the favour for her, not that he minded. Grinning, he made her lift her hips, then began to return the gracious acts she had performed on him.

…

Evangeline brushed her hair with shaking hands, her eyes a bit glazed as she had been in a bit of a daze since she had returned from Red Hood apartment an hour ago. It was nightfall and she had an hour to get ready for this dinner with Marinette and the Waynes.

She had spent _ hours _ in that apartment with Red Hood. And they had been amazing.

But why did she feel so unsatisfied? The guy certainly had made sure she had been well satisfied and unable to walk, and that was only with his mouth and hands. It was two adults having consensual, strings free sex. 

She decided to ignore the feeling and tugged on her heels, just as she heard a knock at her door.

“Eva, are you ready yet?” Marinette’s voice drifted through the door, causing all of Eva’s worries to melt away. 

Now, anyone would think the relationship between the TA and the student to be inappropriate, but they were just friends. Beside, in a year, Eva was heading back to Canada anyhow, not that she really wanted to leave…

As they drove up towards Wayne Manor, Eva sent the nervous Marinette a look. She was fretting, toying with the hem of her dress, or tugging on a lock of her blue-black hair. It was almost adorable, but Eva reached out a hand and took Marinette's, both women giving each other a calm smile.

"You can do this." Eva assured her.

When they stepped out of the town car, Eva had to keep reassuring the girl all the way inside, where Alfred, their Butler, led them to the living room. Eva was surprised to see how big the Wayne family was, as she had never thought to have actually do any research on them, which she currently felt rather stupid about.

"I'm glad you made it, Angel." Damian stepped forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. The sight made Eva smile at how sweet the boy was on her. But no way in hell was she going to trust a rich kid and his smooth moves.

She flinched as an image of Thomas flashed in her mind, before she quickly stomped it down. No, she couldn't think about that!

Eva stepped back and allowed Marinette to be swarmed by the family, biting her lower lip as she saw how… Warm it all was. They seemed like such a close family…

Evangeline allowed herself to zone out for a few moments, as she was not a star guest there, it was Marinette's show, of which Eva was thankful. She finally queued herself back in when Marinette began talking to Damian once again as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

"As long as they don't think I'm a gold digger, I'm happy."

That caused Eva to let out a soft snort.

"Right, if you're a gold digger, I'm Rena Rouge." Eva set her hands on her hips and winked, not realizing everyone was staring at her now. "Don't worry, sugar cookie, they'd have to be crazy to think you're bad news."

And then any and all tension eased. Everyone began to joke, to laugh, Marinette even grumbled about Eva's knack for wearing killer heels.

She had fine legs, she was gonna show them off.

"Hello." A deep voice brought Eva out of the conversation of Marinette's dreams to become a designer, and she turned and stared at the man who was holding out a hand. He was certainly taller than her, with a muscular build that could be easily seen through his t shirt. Eva almost wanted to purr. His blue eyes sparkled with something playful as he held out a hand. "I'm Jason Todd, Damian's older brother."


	3. A Look In The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dinner with the Wayne family has Eva remembering the first time she had met Marinette.

Was there something in the water that made men in Gotham so fucking sexy? Because if so, Evangeline wanted to collect some and sell it in Paris for a good price.

She sat in the living room with the Waynes after Marinette and Damian had disappeared, and the air felt a bit too tense for Eva's comfort, not helped by how Jason seemed to watch her every move. Even the food in her belly from dinner didn’t seem to settle quite right.

"Are you enjoying Gotham so far?" Tim spoke up in an awkward attempt at small talk. Bruce fought back a grimace, forcing himself to keep his 'host face' on.

"It's been very eventful, that's for sure. I mean, I'm dealing with a class full of teenagers who don't like listening to authority figures and a teacher who can't do her job worth a damn. Though I suppose if the class hadn't forgotten Marinette at the hotel, then she and Damian wouldn't have met." Eva chuckled, while Dick got a pained look on his face.

"I just can't believe that they did that. I wanted to go over and shake that woman, try and knock some sense into her." He shook his head, then smiled when Kor'i took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "But I guess fate has an odd way of getting the Demon Spawn a girlfriend."

Eva rose a brow at the nickname, but didn't dare question it, merely shifting ever so slightly on the couch.

"What do you think of the heroes of Gotham?" Kor'i spoke up, the Waynes all shooting her mildly panicked looks, but she ignored them, a wide grin spreading across her face. "They seem pretty amazing, hm?"

"Oh, yes." No one missed how Eva's cheeks seemed to redden ever so slightly, or how she suddenly began clutching her hands together. "I mean, they're all pretty amazing, though it must be hard, facing up against villains such as the Joker or even the Penguin."

"Do you have a favourite?" Cass grinned when she noticed Eva's reaction, leaning a bit closer. She had quickly clued in on what Kor'i was doing. "I personally think Red Hood is pretty awesome."

And there it was; the sharp but soft intake of breath, the glimmering in those purple eyes, or how her hands tightly gripped her skirt.

Jason wasn't doing much better, because every time he looked at the woman, he could only imagine her naked. Neither was having a fun time right now.

“I mean, of course. He did save me from getting shot in the head after all. I was so stupid, rushing into a hostage situation like that, I could have gotten Marinette killed.” The blush left Eva’s face and something flickered across her face. “I-I don’t know what I’d do if she died because of me…”

“But she didn’t. You seem pretty protective of her.” Kor’i stood and gently took Eva’s hands in her own, sitting next to her. “The two of you must be the best of friends.”

“Um, well, I suppose so. She’s a bit… Too trusting. And I am an authority figure, it wouldn't be right to call a student my.. My friend. It is weird, it isn't right. But I guess maybe I reached out so hard because she's… Marinette is an amazing girl.” Eva admitted, having a flashback to when she first met Marinette.

…

“They’ve always been purple, trust me, these are natural.” Eva put in, used to those kinds of comments. She had always stuck out like a sore thumb amongst her classmates when she was in elementary school. “Now, I must say, Miss Bustier told me about you all and how amazing you all are.”

“Really?” A ombre haired girl wearing glasses grinned, her chest puffing out a bit in pride. “I’m determined to be the best reporter in all of France, I’m pretty much there thanks to my blog. You’ve probably heard about the Ladyblog.”

"I'm sorry, I can't say I have. I only arrived in Paris last week, so I've been a bit busy setting up my apartment." Eva hated the annoyed look on the girl's face, but forced herself not to take anything too personally. She was new territory for them, afterall, she couldn't make a bad first impression. "But I'll certainly check it out as soon as I can. I bet it's absolutely spectacular."

"You said you're from Canada, yes?" A brown haired girl with vibrant green eyes rose her hand, an excited smile on her face. "I've been there many times with my mother, she's a diplomat. It's an adorable country, so charming, I just had the most amazing time there."

"Well, I am certainly glad you enjoyed it. I am looking forward to seeing all that Paris has to offer." Eva admitted, returning the girl's smile. "What was your favourite place to visit, Miss…?"

"Lila, Lila Rossi. I would have to say it was when my mother and I met the Prime Minister, Justin is such a kind man, his daughter and I are the best of friends, why, we're practically sisters."

"Really?" Eva's brows shot up in surprise before she tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing a fraction.

"Oh yes! I mean, we're so close in age, of course we'd be like sisters! I am even planning on returning there during Christmas break, I really look forward to it." Lila giggled as she bounced a bit in her seat, missing Eva's skeptical look.

"I'm sorry, Miss Rossi, I think you may be mistaken. Monsieur Trudeau only has one daughter, and she is only eleven." Eva pointed out, and the smile suddenly dropped from Lila's face.

"O- oh.. But, I'm sure that she said.. Maybe I just got the age wrong, she acts so maturely for her age." Lila sputtered out, pressing her hands to her cheeks, looking embarrassed. The ombre haired girl reached out and patted her shoulder in support and reassurance. "Pardon me, Miss Bourbon, I tend to get confused. You see, I have a terrible illness, and it seems to be affecting my memory.."

"It's alright, Lila, it could happen to anybody." Alya put in quickly, reaching out and hugging Lila close in a gesture of comfort. Eva stared at Lila for a moment before gently shaking her head. It was probably just a minor slip. This girl's mother was an ambassador, they probably did have to travel to places often, it wasn't that far out of believability. And Eva didn't stalk the news for every person that met with the Prime Minister, so it could have been easily overlooked.

But then she noticed the pained look on the face of the girl sitting in the back row, a look of helplessness before their eyes met, and those blue eyes just begged her for.. For something, before quickly darting away.

So then Caline came back, the class settled down and Angerona took her seat in the corner, watching how the class interacted, at how Bustier taught them. Eva could tell that this class had been together for a long time. There was all of the private jokes, that closeness you can never get anywhere else, where everyone knew everyone else a bit too much. It almost made Eva smile.

Almost.

And when lunch came around, she took the time to explore the school, happily greeting the teachers, not seeing the looks of pity and concern they gave her when she said that she was the TA for Bustier. 

"Excuse me, Miss Bourbon?" 

The voice had halted Eva in her tracks before she could head to the staff room for lunch. She turned and saw the pigtailed girl from her class standing there, nervously holding a box.

"I- I am sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I want to welcome you to Paris." Marinette quickly held out the box, and Eva quickly spotted the logo of a bakery on the box. By the names, she quickly could tell that this girl must have had some family members that were bakers. “My Papa made these this morning, when Miss Bustier said that you would be joining us, we wanted to greet you to Paris properly.”

“Oh, thank you Miss Dupain-Cheng. I am honoured that you’d make these for me.” Eva grinned and took the box, opening it to find an array of colourful macarons inside. Eva could still remember how delicious they had tasted, at how Marinette’s face had lit up when she had said these were the best she had ever had. Marinette had such a sweet smile that was so full of life, it was one that you never really saw anymore.

And then for a few months, everything went smoothly. The class was nice enough, though everything seemed to rotate around Lila and her neverending list of illnesses or special demands. Eva finally realized the girl was lying when her lies just didn’t seem to add up. And when she approached Bustier about it, the teacher had merely told her that it was none of her concern, to leave it to her to take care of it. But it was never taken care of. 

And she noticed how Marinette seemed more isolated from the class, and was left out of everything. Some of the students even mentioned to her that she was just a girl who got way too jealous and they cut her off because she was becoming unbearable. But to Eva, Marinette was sweet, though the two of them barely talked. But it all changed when she found a wrapped present on her desk. Inside was a beautiful scarf, with a beautiful pattern of maple leaves along the edge. 

“Who got me this?” Eva had asked, moved to tears by the sight of the stunning scarf. She had gotten homesick as of late, she was so lonely in Paris. But this… This gift suddenly made her feel better.

“I did, Miss Bourbon! I saw it in a shop and I thought it would suit you!” Lila spoke up suddenly, her hand shooting up as she stood from her desk. But Eva ran her fingertips along the swirling stitching at one end of the scarf. And that was when she saw it, the neat swirly little name. Marinette.

Eva raised her gaze to where Marinette sat, the girl appearing as if all of the air had left her, the disappointment and hurt clear on her face. Eva had strode right up to her and had hugged her.

“Thank you, Marinette. This is the best gift that I had ever been given.” She whispered.

Both of them had missed the glare from Lila, missing the very beginning of when Lila would start making her life a living hell.

…

“But friendship is not limited by age.” Kor’i spoke up as soon as Eva was done with her story. 

“I know, I know. And, well, Marinette didn’t have to do all of that for me. But she did anyway. She helped me feel welcome in Paris.” Eva sighed as she lowered her gaze, missing how Jason stared at her. But his family sure didn’t. They all exchanged looks.

… 

That night, back at her hotel room, Eva had returned from Wayne Manor to find Caline snoring up a storm already. She sighed and stripped out of her clothes and showered. But just as she was about to slip into bed, there was a soft tapping at the window. Eva went over and pulled aside the curtain, grinning at the sight of Red Hood.

“What are you doing here?” Eva whispered as she pulled open the window, only to be swept up into his arms, and they took off onto the Gotham rooftops. “Red Hood! You can’t just kidnap me!” 

“Sure I can. I missed you.” Jason had missed her, and it scared him a bit. He had only just met this woman, he had played around with her at his place, but tonight at the manor… He had wanted to get to know her as himself, as Jason. But a part of him knew that he had exposed himself enough as Red Hood, that this lady would no doubt connect the dots. So, he had done the next best thing and had decided to kidnap her from her hotel room.

He took her all the way downtown, to the building with the gargoyles. But instead of a statue separating the two of them, he had Eva sit firmly on his lap as his hands roamed her body. She was so soft, so warm… That was what he liked about her, that fire inside of her that never seemed to go out. From only knowing her for a few days, he knew it would be a flame of comfort, radiating warmth, or if she was angry, it could be a fiery inferno that could burn you.

"Is it stupid to say that you've been the best part of this trip so far?" Eva whispered, then bit her lower lip as his hands got a bit more rough.

"I wouldn't say that it's stupid. I was looking forward to seeing you tonight." He admitted, then groaned ever so softly as she ground against him.

"You were just excited to get your dick wet. I bet you barely get any girls looking your way." Eva taunted, then let out a soft squeak when he gave her ass a harsh smack. 

It was just a relationship, one of physics needs and pure anonymity. It was how they both liked it.

It wasn't long before Eva was riding him, clinging to him tightly, his jacket thrown over her shoulders to keep out the chill. His hands firmly gripped her rocking hips, her soft body pressed firmly against his. He ached to kiss her parted lips as erotic moans slipped through, loving how her lashes fluttered as the pleasure seemed to overwhelm her.

And when they finally came, they stayed up there for a long time, both unsure of what this all was supposed to be.

"I should get back. I will have a long day tomorrow." Eva murmured, her head on his chest as she stared out at Gotham.

"Yeah.. I need to get back to Bats anyhow. Apparently, a ladybug has come to Gotham." Red Hood mused.

He completely missed the look of shock on the woman's face, before she buried it into his chest and began to giggle.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning had been boring as all hell, not that that had surprised Eva. A free day for everyone to scatter and she decided to avoid Bustier and to let Marinette have a fun day exploring Gotham, with friends, of course.

So she had talked herself to going to a cute little cafe and ordering herself a slice of cheesecake and a cup of hot chocolate. She took a seat in a booth and just enjoyed the solitary moment to herself. No idiot teachers, no bratty students, no stress of anything. Just her and this cheesecake that would go straight to her hips.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" 

Eva looked up and met the impossibly blue eyes of Jason Todd. She was so startled at the sight of him that she began coughing as she swallowed a mouthful of hot cocoa wrong. Embarrassment burned her cheeks as she hacked at the sudden pain, doubling over on the table. She soon felt Jason's large hand settle on her back and begin rubbing it.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Eva." Jason winced when he saw her watering eyes and red face. He had been just as surprised to see her in this small cafe, and like an idiot he had just strode up and demanded why she was there like a jackass.

"It's fine, I'm fine." She reached out a hand to set it on his shoulder, trying not to notice how broad it was under her hand. She forced a smile as she sat up, using a napkin to wipe her mouth. "I was off in my daydreams, so I guess it was going to be inevitable that something would scare me." 

The two shared a smile before Jason motioned to the seat across from her. At Eva's nod, he took a seat. They stared at each other for a while, before Jason cleared his throat, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed.

"So.. Damian is rather lovestruck, I'd say. It's a bit scary, he's always been this hardass, no nonsense kind of guy, then he meets this French girl and he's all doe eyed and smiled more. He's not supposed to smile." Jason shook his head, quickly ordering himself a coffee when the waitress came over.

"I was a bit hesitant about Marinette dating him." Eva admitted as she poked at her cheesecake with her, keeping her gaze lowered. "I mean, they've barely known each other for a week and suddenly they're dating? Pardon me if I’m skeptical.”

Jason opened his mouth to agree, but his mind quickly flashed to the past couple of nights. It wasn't dating exactly, but it was a fair bit… Hypocritical of himself to agree.

"If Damian hurts her, how about I break both of his legs?" He reached out and set his hand over hers, only to feel his heart begin to race when she turned her hand to grasp his.

"And I'll break both of his arms, and we can toss his body in the river." 

The two shared a smile, and before they both knew it, they were walking around Gotham, trading stories and laughing, before they eventually arrived in front of the hotel, Eva with a hesitance to her body language.

“What’s wrong?” Jason began to reach out, but stopped himself and tucked his hands into his pockets. 

“Nothing, I just.. I like this job, I really do, it’s just.. I don’t like Caline, or the kids, except Marinette of course, some of them aren’t so bad, butI think I’m going to go grey soon!” Eva ran her fingers through her hair, seeming a bit rattled at the feeling of the words bursting from her lips. “I want to kind of quit, but.. I’m only there for a year, and I love France, but the circumstances are shit.”

“I thought I sensed some tension on your shoulders. Dick told me all about that class, especially that Rossi chick. Trust me, liars like her don’t last very long, eventually her lies catch up to her. And surely there’s something else keeping you sane, right? Maybe a boyfriend…?”

Jason didn’t know why he was fishing. It was a fling, nothing important, but the thought of Eva having a boyfriend.. It didn’t make him feel very good.

“...” Those purple eyes were suddenly downcast, a frown settling on those impossibly soft lips. “No.. There hasn’t been anyone for a long time. I mean, there’s a guy in Gotham that I met that I kind of want to get to know more, but we kind of agreed to not get into that kind of relationship. Besides, he and I have only known each other for a few days, it’d be a bit weird to suddenly jump into a romantic relationship like that, right?” 

He didn’t know exactly how to answer that. Jason.. He never really had a good deal with ladies, he liked both guys and girls, but love.. It wasn’t something he wanted to pursue, because well, he was a broken man. A man with a fucked up past that he didn’t want to burden on anyone else. 

“Anyways, I should get inside, it was a pretty long day.” She gave him a small smile, and a playful wink. “I’ll need as much beauty rest as I can get with these kids.”

As he watched her walk away, a small smile played on his lips as his eyes drifted to the sway of those hips, a sway that showed that she meant business. How could it be that anyone could have such a perfect ass?

Eva entered the hotel, spotting Marinette surrounded by a few of her friends. With a sudden spring in her step, Eva began to make her way over to the girl, though her steps faltered upon the sight of the desk clerk motioning her over.

“Ma’am, I do hope you had a good day today. Er.. We found that we charged your card with some unnecessary purchases during your night at the bar, and to try and fix that hiccup, we decided to give you one of the better rooms.” The clerk blurted out with incredible speed, holding out a key card, her bright and cheerful smile not once cracking. “I do hope that you will forgive us for this inconvenience and enjoy the rest of your stay.”

  
  


“Oh.. Well, thank you.” Eva glanced between the clerk and the key card. She had just checked her bank account an hour ago, and there had been no other charges than that bottle of wine.. “Well, I guess I’ll get my stuff.”

“Oh, we already had the staff move it for you, so that you can simply go and have a relaxing night. And any room service for the rest of your stay is on us!” The clerk put in quickly, before giving a soft giggle. “Have a good evening, Miss Bourbon.”

Eva’s brows drew together as she stared down at the key card in her hand. She slowly made her way over to where Marinette stood, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"What's that?" Nino blinked in surprise at the sight of the shiny new key card.

"I.. Guess I got a new room.." Eva murmured, before turning her gaze to Marinette. "I also got a free dinner. Wanna join me for a bit?"

The smile she received in return made the whole thing seem so much more tolerable.

…

"So.. Has Damian called you?" Eva grinned at the sight of the blush rising in Marinette's cheeks. "My goodness, sugar cookie, I think you've got it worse than when you had your crush on Adrien."

"I do not! I mean, I can actually talk to Damian without making a complete fool of myself.." Marinette took a hold of one of her pigtails, tugging on it as her blush only grew worse. "And.. I think he actually cared about me. Like, really cares."

"Ugh, young love, it's too sweet, I'm going to get sick." Eva faked a retching noise, only to have a pillow thrown at her face.

"Eva, I'm serious! I think that maybe I can finally have something.. Something real." Mari murmured as she hugged one of the other pillows to her chest, an almost dreamy look crossing her face. “I mean.. It could be something amazing.”

_ Babe, you and I are something real.. _

Eva tensed as she felt the ice spread in her stomach, David's face flashing in her mind, his smug grin as he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her in for a kiss…

A knock at the door tore Eva from those thoughts, causing her to rush over, avoiding meeting Marinette's curious eyes.

"Well.. If you do want to pursue this relationship.. Please be careful, Marinette. I know that you think this guy is great, but," Her grip tightened so hard on the doorknob that her knuckles turned white. ", First impressions can be deceiving."

They were served in an overly fancy fashion, their meals kept under silver domes, the room service worker pouring both ladies each a glass of sparkling pomegranate juice, before they were left sitting at the small table in silence.

“How.. Did you get this room again?” Marinette posed her pasta dish absentmindedly with her form, while Eva shrugged in response. “You should have seen the look on Miss Bustier’s face when she found out you got a better room. Lila is spreading around a rumour that you slept with a staff member to get special treatment.”

“You know what, let’s not worry about those two anymore. I’m tired of Lila and you guys are graduating this year, in a few months, so I’m not going to give her the time of day anymore. Her lies won’t work out there in the real world, because unlike Alya, people actually check their fucking facts.” Eva muttered as she sipped the juice, trying to ignore the growing anger in her chest. Those people weren’t worth it. “Now, about Damian Wayne.. Listen, Marinette, you’ve fallen for a pretty rich boy before, just take this slower, please. You claimed that you fell in love with Adrien the very day you met him, and I’m sorry, but love just doesn’t work like that. Yeah, you can feel attraction, but love is so much more.”

Marinette was quiet as she finally took a bit of her food, refusing to meet Eva’s invasive gaze. She seemed to be almost tearing up as she swallowed and finally spoke.

“I know, Eva, but.. I don’t think it’s wrong to believe in love. People fall in love every day, and I feel like Damian is going to be better than Adrien. He is actually acting like an adult, he seems to actually be.. Well, you know, he actually cares and is aware of reality.”

Eva clicked her tongue , but nodded. Adrien was a bit of an.. An airhead, in Eva’s eyes. He never seemed to fully grasp what was going on, or how life actually worked. Marinette had gone through far too much thanks to her crush on that boy.

“Sugar cookie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was demeaning.” Eva sighed and stood, moving over and pulling the girl into a tight hug. “I just care, you know? You’re the only family I have.”

“You’re lucky to have a little sister like me.” Marinette teased as she hugged her back, smiling to herself as she felt the warmth radiating off of her. “But I do appreciate the advice. I was a complete mess with Adrien.”

“We’re all a mess with our first crush.” Eva kissed the top of her head. “Now finish your food before it gets cold.”

…

Eva sighed to herself as she stared at herself in the mirror. She touched the corners of her eyes, glaring at the dark shadows under her eyes. Her body jolted when she heard a knock at the window, slowly making her way over and cautiously opened the curtains. At the sight of Red Hood dangling outside her window caused her to grin.

“Never think of entering through my door?” She teased as she let him inside, only to let out a cry of surprise as he scooped her up in his embrace, giving his shoulder a playful smack. “You’re covered in snow, asshole, you’re freezing!”

“You were on my mind all day. You and this sexy ass of yours.” Red Hood growled softly as he gave her ass a sharp squeeze through her pyjama pants. “And that sharp tone of yours.”

“You insatiable pervert, I must be really turning you into a sex fiend, huh?” Eva taunted, giving her hips a playful wriggle, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

“Only for you, you little vixen. It’s illegal to be as sexy as you are.” Red Hood gave her ass a smack then, causing her to moan.

“Hmm, then are you taking me into the coppers, Red Hood? Finally gonna cuff me and put me behind bars?” She giggled as she was thrown onto the bed, his hands sliding along her body as he pinned her underneath him.

“I suppose you. Be careful what you say, anything you say can and will be held against you, my vixen..” He whispered as he began to unbutton her top, his gloved hand sliding in to grasp one of her breasts and squeezing it. “Fuck..”

“Red Hood..” Eva panted out, arching her back as she felt the cold material of the gloves on her heated skin. “Red Hood, my Red Hood..”

“Mmm, naughty girl. Maybe I should teach you a lesson before taking you in..” He growled, reaching over to the lamp to switch it off.

A knock at her door caused them both to freeze.

“Miss Bourbon? Are you there?” Adrien’s muffled voice could be heard, causing Eva to curse under her breath.

“Ignore him..” Red Hood hissed, once again reaching for the lamp once again, only to let out a frustrated growl when Adrien knocked once again. “I’m going to kick that kid’s ass.”

“You shush, Casanova, he must be having quite the bit of trouble if he’s coming to me and not Caline.” Eva rolled out from under Red Hood and grumbled as she buttoned up her shirt, then pulled on a robe. “But don’t worry, if you ever come to Paris, I’ll point out a lazy cat themed superhero whose ass you can destroy.”

Jason watched as Eva fixed her appearance; smoothing down her messy hair, adjusting the robe to hide her lack of a bra, though he noticed her skin was still rather rosy. It was funny, hearing her speak so.. So brashly, while she always appeared like those high class ladies he would see at those weird events he had gone to with Bruce before.. Before th Joker had killed him. 

“Well, if the kid’s in trouble, I know you can help him, you would obviously go through gunfire for that girl, so I guess you’d do that for anyone.” Red Hood teased.

“No..” Alya and Lila’s faces flashed in her mind and for a moment, Eva felt shame. “Not anyone.”

As Eva set a hand on the doorknob, she felt Red Hood’s arms wrap around her waist, hugging her tightly.

“Tomorrow.. I’m going to take you on a proper date, okay? Well, as proper of a date as a vigilante like myself can do. No secret apartment rendezvous, no drinking beer on a roof, just something nice, okay?” He whispered, and Eva found her cheeks began to burn. 

“That sounds great.. Um.. H- have a good night, Red.” She whispered back, leaning into his embrace. When he finally let go and left, the room felt so cold, so empty. She felt so empty.

“Oh, Miss Bourbon! Sorry if I woke you, I was just hoping we could talk.” Adrien blurted out as soon as the woman opened the door. At her skeptical look, he pressed his hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please! I was wrong, wrong about Lila and I want to make it up to Marinette. You’re the only one who’s close to her now, so you’ll know what to do.” 

  
  
  


“Fine.” Eva pulled on her robe tighter, then propped open the door and let him inside. At his questioning look, she shrugged. “In case Lila happens upon the room and tries anything, the door is wide open, I have nothing to hide. Besides, I’m tired, Adrien, I was about to turn in for the night.”

‘Oh.. I’m sorry… Adrien murmured as he entered the room, taking a look around, a bit surprised at how extravagant everything was, it even had its own mini bar. “The hotel was really generous to give you this.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t really need it, though a room without Bustier is a dream come true.”

Adrien looked as if he were about the comment, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He turned his gaze to the open window and squinted ever so slightly at the sight of the faint foot impressions on the sill. Had someone broken in? Or.. Had Ladybug been here? His green eyes settled on Eva, who had turned the Keurig on, his heart beginning to pound. She had to be the key to Ladybug, to his lady, to his rightful happily ever after.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” The T.A. walked over with two steaming mugs. She handed once to Adrien. “Hot chocolate. I remember one time you mentioned to Nino that you can’t drink coffee because it would stain your teeth.”

“Um.. Thank you, Miss Bourbon.” Adrien waited for her to say a cheerful ‘oh please, call me Eva!’, but it never came. She merely sat down, taking a long sip of her black coffee. His eyes trained on the array of dark bruises on her neck and collarbone, hiding a smirk as he took a sip of his hot chocolate. She certainly must be easy if she was already with someone here in Gotham, she must be encouraging Ladybug to follow her behaviour with Damian too. Adrien made a mental note that once he finally convinced Ladybug to date him, he’d get her as far away from Evangeline Bourbon as possible, maybe get the T.A. sent back to Canada. He couldn’t have his future wife becoming so wanton and loose.

“I just want to know what I did wrong, Miss Bourbon. I tried so hard to try and get everyone to get along, I didn’t bully anyone, I never said anything hurtful to Marinette, did I?” Adrien met her gaze, met those eyes that sent chills down his spine. 

Eva closed her eyes briefly as she prayed to every god and goddess up in the heavens to give her patience. 

“That’s the problem, Adrien, since you tried to get everyone to get along, that you merely put a band-aid over a chainsaw wound. And, Marinette felt like you were ignoring her feelings, making Lila a priority.” Eva clicked her tongue softly.

“B-but what if Lila gets akumatized if we expose her?! If Marinette just put the lies aside and got along with her, we’d all be happy again!” Adrien burst out.

“So you say that Marinette should just roll over and take it, because it inconveniences you? Adrien, Lila has been akumatized over fifteen times, and those are just the ones we know of. She’s always going to get akumatized, Adrien, there is really no way without it. But imagine how much it’s going to hurt when this eventually gets out.” She trailed a fingertip around the rim of her mug. “Think really hard about all of this.”

Adrien was quiet for a long time, his grip tightening slightly on his mug. 

“I’m sorry.. I guess.. M-my mother left a few years ago, she always told me that you should work hard to keep the light in the world, since it can be so cruel.” He whispered, bowing his head.

Eva flinched as a memory flashed across her mind; her mother getting in her car and driving off, never to return, leaving her all alone with her pathetic father. Pity filled her chest as she remembered how cold Gabriel Agreste was to his son. To lose a mother, to have an absentee father, in a sense.. It definitely causes one to be vulnerable. And Adrien certainly was a sheltered boy, so I guess it made a bit of sense..

“Listen, if you really want to get on good terms with Marinette again, you’ll need to apologize. Maybe do something nice for her to show you actually mean it and aren’t putting out empty air.”

Adrien grinned, Eva missing the almost mad glint in his eyes.

“Yes, of course! I know exactly what to do!”


	5. Chapter 5

Eva woke up bleary-eyed and sore all over. With a grumble, she pulled on her jeans, ignoring the ache that happened when the material rubbed against the bruises on her inner thighs. As she looked down at herself, she lightly touched the hickies and bite marks left along her collarbone and neck, cursing under her breath as she tugged on a black turtleneck. Red Hood had been quite rough last night, after she had finally been able to let him into the hotel room, not that she had really minded. But now the consequences were causing her to limp towards the elevator and lean against the wall, cursing how she had slept in, she had been looking forward to having breakfast with Marinette and her friends. Rose and Juleka were absolutely adorable, in her opinion, and Ivan seemed like a nice kid. They never set out to do anything malicious, but they had leaned pretty hard into Lila’s lies. 

But, hell, if Marinette was going to give them a second chance, Eva could bite her tongue and join her. Not everyone deserved a second chance, but she was willing to give them one. But only because of Marinette. 

But when she stepped out of the elevator and saw the looks on the students’ faces, she got an unsettled feeling, stirring deep within her gut.

And when they all eventually got to the realization that Marinette was missing, she felt as if she wanted to vomit. 

Police roamed the floor, some had gone up to Marinette’s room, it was a mess. And when Batman and his crew stepped into the hotel’s lobby, the tension in Eva’s shoulders only grew worse. 

The blood seemed to pump hard through her veins, the rush of it filling her ears, almost deafening as her breathing grew heavier. She didn’t hear all of the lies Lila told to the police, of her possibly running off with an older man. She didn’t hear about how Alya was shouting that Marinette dipped out often during events, it was commonplace, she’d be fine, completely forgetting about how they were in a city full of villains that would not hesitate to kill their victims. 

“Vixen.” A familiar pair of hands firmly grasped her shoulders, slingshotting her back into the present. She grasped the front of Red Hood’s shirt as she stepped closer to him.

"Please, let me help somehow!" Her grip tightened on him as she felt her body begin to shake. Her mind raced at all of the horrible possible scenarios, the Joker, maybe the Penguin, anyone could have Marinette, could be hurting her, she could be dead, or dying, anything could be happening! "Please, I need to help, please."

"We can handle it!" Her gaze was drawn to the towering figure of Robin as he approached. He seemed tense, a bit on edge, as if he were about to lash out at any moment. She pressed her lips in a thin line as she listened to the bickering between the two, before she squeezed her eyes shut. 

And there she stood, hearing nothing as the police walked around her, as did the students. Her gaze flickered over to Caline and anger shot through her as the sight of the teacher looking more interrupted than concerned. Did none of them get it, not a single one of them? This wasn’t Paris, these villains here aren’t Hawkmoth, she could seriously be hurt. 

“Has anyone seen Adrien?” Alix was the one to ask it, around an hour later. The vigilantes were already gone, most of the police were gone. Eva’s eyes darted around the room, finally noticing the lack of the model, and a queasy feeling curled in her stomach.

“My poor Adrien, he must have gone out to look for Marinette. I can’t believe he’d give into her tricks, he might get hurt..” Lila suddenly sobbed out, drawing all eyes to her before she buried her face into her hands. “What can I do? He could get hurt! Last night he told me that they fought, because she’s been stalking him again” 

“Is this what it always sounded like to you guys?” Ivan stepped over and whispered into Eva’s ear, failing to notice the sweat forming on Eva’s brow. She then gave a slow nod, her eyes glazed over ever so slightly as her mind raced. Adrien, Adrien was missing too.. Marinette and Adrien, both gone, no one had seen them leave. They were often disappearing at the same time, but that was during akuma attacks, so it was understandable that they’d get separated in the chaos.. 

Eva felt herself moving towards the elevators before she realized what she was doing. She pressed the button for Marinette’s floor and slowly the elevator rose. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, listening to the rumble of the gears as he mind raced. Something didn’t feel right, something just didn’t click. Marinette wouldn’t have left with a stranger, she usually tried her hardest to tell Eva where she was going. She did her hardest to let Eva know if she was going to run late.

Eva’s eyes snapped open as she stepped into the hallway. Police tape was covering the doorway to Marinette’s room. There was a dark stain on the carpet just outside of the door, and panic spiked in Eva before she saw it was a dark brown, not red. Coffee, perhaps? 

She ducked under the tape and stepped into the room, eyeing it very carefully. The police had been here, and she knew she would get in trouble if she was caught standing in a crime scene, but something… Something drew her here. Something told her she absolutely needed to be here. 

Eva stepped deeper into the room, eyeing everything. Nothing was scattered, no mess. The bed was neatly made, her luggage tucked neatly into the corner, next to the empty closet, that contained only a few wire hangers. Eva passed the luggage, heading towards the dresser, but paused at the sound of a soft ‘thunk’.

Slowly, she turned and spotted the round spotted object that rolled out into the middle of the floor. Eva found her mouth going dry as she moved over, knelt next to the odd object. She had never seen it before in her life, Marinette had never mentioned bringing out a.. Was it a box? She reached out, and eyed the symbols on it. Was it a project, maybe regarding the Parisian heroes? 

Her fingertips brushed over the symbol of a fox tail, before the small door swung open. Inside, laid on a silken cushion, was a charm in the shape of a fox tail. Eva felt her throat tightened at the sight of it, before she stumbled back with a squeak as a bright light burst from the box. She landed rather hard on her sore bottom with a rather loud groan, her eyes snapping shut as she winched. 

“Well, I have to say, you’re not as graceful as I expect my Chosen to be.” The voice that spoke was playful, having an almost childish tone. "Grace is a fox's most alluring quality, you know."

Eva glanced up and stared at the small creature that floated before her very eyes. It was a small fox, from what she could tell, with large purple eyes, about the exact shade as her own.

"Who.. Who are you?" Eva managed as she shifted onto her knees, the abrupt action caused the little fox to float back an inch. "Please, don't go!"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. As for myself, I'm Trixx, I am the Kwami of Illusion!" The chipper mood of this.. Kwami seemed so different than the mood that had been carrying on all day. Eva's mind instantly flashed to Marinette and she squeezed her eyes tight. "Hey, what's wrong? Don't throw up on the carpet, I'm not good at cleaning!"

"Wait.. You were in Marinette's bag. Do you know Marinette? Do you know where she's gone? Is she hurt? Please, I need to find her, I need to save her! She's my family, I can't lose her when I just got her!" Eva reached for the Kwami, who promptly flew out of her reach.

"Eva, you must calm down." A small red and black spotted creature flew down from the top of the wardrobe, joining Trixx to stare at the woman kneeling on the floor, next to the Miraculous box. "Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag. Or the fox is out of the box, isn't it? Eva, Marinette is in danger. Chat Noir has her."

"Wait, what? But why would he have Marinette, isn't he usually after Ladybu-" Tikki and Trixx watched as the gears turned in the woman's mind, watched as the realization lit up in those large purple eyes. "No fucking way.. Is.. Is Marinette Ladybug? Like, that has to be the reason, you kind of look like a Ladybug, and why she had this weird box, and I guess she and Ladybug do look alike, and the two of them are never in the same place at once-"

"Evangeline!" Tikki raised her voice, which caused Eva's mouth to snap shut. "We don't have much time! I know that Robin and his teammates are out looking for her, but.. They've never faced any of the Miraculous before, I'm worried that they won't know how to deal with it. They need someone who wields a Miraculous to help them."

"Oh." Eva blinked, then reached into her purse, pulling out her cell phone. "Is anyone in the class a Miraculous person? Or anyone back in France? Like, you guys teleport, right? At least one of you has to." 

"There's not enough time. Right now, I want you to do it. Put on that necklace and become the new Fox heroine!" Tikki picked up the fox necklace, held it out. "Please!"

"Whoa." Eva held up a hand. "No way. I don't have any proper training."

"The Miraculous is all that you need."

"Might I remind you that Red Hood and the others have guns. Surely they can handle this."

"And might I remind you that Chat Noir can destroy anything he touches and turn it into ash?"

".. Okay, fine, how do I turn this thing on?" Eva muttered as she snapped up the necklace and put it on. It felt so cold against her skin, causing her to shiver.

"All you have to do is say 'Trixx, let's pounce', then you'll transform! Trust me, I have a feeling you'll be a natural!" Trixx piped up, a grin on his face. 

…

Lady Vixen ran across snow covered rooftops at a supernatural speed. She felt weightless, as she seemed to defy gravity as she jumped from one roof to another without any effort. 

Tikki was curled up, protected from the harsh elements by the thick fur of Vixen's tail. She seemed to have adapted to these powers like a fish to water.

"I see they've already begun without me." Vixen clicked her tongue as she caught sight of the warehouse in the distance, noticing that the large doors were wide open.

She made a step towards them as she landed on the ground, but paused when she heard the screaming. She managed to peek around the corner, watching as Robin and Chat Noir engaged in some intense fighting. A quick look around made her see all of the bodies scattered about, many of them with their limbs twisted at odd angles.

Vixen realized that facing Chat Noir head on would be a suicidal mission, if anything. He was strong, used to his powers, and unhinged by the sounds on his rants about how 'Ladybug was all his', like the disgusting 'nice guys' she had met in the past. But then her eyes widened when she got the idea.

She disguised herself as Ladybug, and acted fairly well, she assumed, looking so heartbroken and disgusted at Chat's actions. And it was oh so satisfying when she kicked that cat's ass across the warehouse. And as she stood on his chest, she angled her heel and stomped on his throat, hearing the choking sounds giving her such satisfaction. She glared down at Chat Noir, at those glazed over green eyes that held such fury, such madness. Guilt and rage curled in Vixen’s gut as she was thrown off of Chat, but landed rather gracefully on her feet, just next Marinette. 

“Are those high heels?” Marinette hissed from between bluish lips, her eyes narrowing a fraction as she stared at the fox heroine. Vixen merely gave her a grin. If Marinette was well enough to give snide remarks, she’d be fine. 

"Hey Sugar Cookie, I think this belongs to you!" The fox unfurled her tail, Tikki darting out and Vixen watched at the heartwarming reunion of the two. She then returned her gaze to where Chat was struggling to his feet, his hand pulsing with a dark energy. She unsheathed her claws and rushed forward. 

She ducked under Chat Noir’s swipe, slashing at his stomach, her sharp claws ripping through his costume, though barely grazed his skin, the thin red lines soon oozing blood. 

He grasped her throat with his non powered hand, squeezing as he aimed to stroke, but she rapidly ripped from his grasp and began running backwards. 

Power pumped through her veins as she prepared to help Ladybug take this bastard down. 

…

Vixen smiled as she watched as Red Hood and Nightwing tied Adrien up with some rope they had found lying around. Adrien’s head lolled to the side, a groan leaving his lips. She admired the sight of the boy’s broken nose and the blood dripping down his chin. 

“So..” Vixen turned and watched as Marinette, looking much better as she was bundled in a blanket, her lips having regained their rosy colour. “What do I call the heroine who decided shoulder pads and high heels were a smart choice for a superhero costume?"

Vixen had to suppress a snort as she crossed her arms, cocked a hip. 

"I managed to do flips and cartwheels in these heels, so you don't get to judge." Vixen pointed a finger at Marinette and gave her a light poke in the shoulder. “But I guess you can call me Lady Vixen.” 

Vixen, without realizing what was really happening, listened to her necklace beep. And in a flash of light, she suddenly felt the cold of the bitter winter night. She shivered and hugged herself. 

Eva opened her mouth, about to make a joke about the cat being out of the bag, when she heard a loud clatter. She looked up sharply and stared at Red Hood, who’s body seemed so tense. Then he took off his helmet, practically ripping it off and tossing it to the side as if it were nothing. 

And Eva found herself looking into the blue eyes of Jason Todd.

"What the fuck? Jaso-" Before Eva could say anything else, Jason grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck, her fingers tangling in his thick dark hair. She whimpered ever so softly, her body giving a soft shiver. 

"You're a fucking crazy woman." He had a faint trace of awe in his voice as he stared into her eyes. 

Eva, mind racing at the sudden realization of who she had been romping for the past few days, couldn’t stop the giggle that left her lips. 

"I had to save Marinette. She couldn't transform without that red fairy." 

"Yeah, but your form was terrible." Jason grabbed her by the waist and Eva found herself being tossed over his shoulder, eyes wide as she saw that the other vigilantes were watching."You and I need to work on that flexibility of yours."

"Jason, what the fuck are you talking about?" Eva struggled in Jason's tight grip, but stilled when she felt his hand squeeze her inner thigh. Suddenly, her cheeks burned, as she was carried out of the warehouse. "Oh.. OH!"

Now, Eva would usually have gone and embraced Marinette, crying about how relieved she was that the girl was safe. But when she felt his hand slide higher, and her blood began to race, her mind was suddenly only on the fire that burned in her skin.

When they got back to Wayne Manor, under the radar of most of the security cameras and Alfred, clothes began flying off once they entered Jason's room. Eva found herself pinned under Jason, clinging to him as he thrusted so fiercely into her, causing her to cry out. His hands gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, his lips trailing to her breasts, tongue teasing her sweat drenched skin .

“Fuck, I can finally see you as you fuck my brains out.. She managed to pant out, seeing stars as he kept thrusting into her. “Fuck, Jason, yes…”

“You fucking vixen.. Dammit, I shouldn’t have shown you my identity.” Jason whispered against her skin. He hadn’t known what had come over him, his identity was something that was very important. But having watched Eva fight in such a fierce manner and had found out that she had been that fox lady, something had taken over him, his hands had moved on their own. 

“Well, you know mine.. We should be even.” She whispered, reaching up and grabbing his face between her hands, pulling him down for a kiss. “Good to know you’re one of the sexiest men I’ve seen in my life.”

He kissed her again, groaning as he felt her nails digging into his back. 

“You’re all mine now.” He whispered, nuzzling her neck.

…

Eva snuggled into Jason’s side as she read the book he had open with him. If she had been honest, she never thought he’d be one to read Jane Eyre. But that was probably because they didn’t know all that much about each other, yet here they were, in bed together and naked. It all felt so surreal to Eva, now having entered the world of heroes and villains. 

“Marinette had been Ladybug this whole time.. I still can’t wrap my head around it, I thought she was always running off to hide, but she was actually just working really damned hard to keep her secret.” Eva murmured as her eyes skimmed over the words of the book. “But to think she was also in such dangerous situations.. It scares me, but also makes me realize she’s alot stronger than I gave her credit for.” 

“I thought the same thing about you.” Jason admitted as he ran his fingers lazily through her hair, before he briefly closed his eyes. “You’ve got balls of steel, Eva.” 

“So do you. I mean, how long have you been this vigilante?” She lifted her head and faced him, reaching up and cupping his cheek. “I’m guessing you were one of the Robins forever ago, hm?”

Jason opened his mouth to answer, only to pause. A part of him wanted to tell her everything, even his times under the influence of the Lazarus pits, but.. He just couldn’t, he hated to say it, but he didn’t fully thrust this woman with something that intimate. 

“I was the second Robin. I became Red Hood a while later.” Was all he said. 

“So, been there pretty much since the beginning, hm? Must have been a mess of a time.” Eva mused, but could barely get another word out, as he pulled her in for a soft kiss.

"Tomorrow.. You and me. We're going to have some fun. Eva.. I like you, you're a spunky lady, and I.. I want us to try being a bit more than just, well, flings." 

Eva stared into those impossibly blue eyes of his, speechless, before she allowed herself to blush vividly. 

"A- alright then. I think.. I'd actually like that." She admitted, leaning in for another kiss.

About an hour later, she found herself down in the kitchen, grabbing herself a snack and something to eat. She smiled at the sight of Marinette standing in the kitchen, sipping something warm from a steaming mug, Damian's tall, broad form next to her, his arms wrapped around her waist. The way he looked at her.. Eva felt her throat tighten slightly as she saw how they looked at each other. Like they knew that they were meant to be.

She wanted that. Stupidly, she wanted that with Jason. Sure, he'd said he'd wanted to try it, but he'd change his mind later, most men usually did. Besides, once he'd find out the truth, he'd run for the hills to get away from her.

David's face flashed in her eyes and she shut her eyes tightly, taking a deep, shaky breath before finally heading into the kitchen with a bright smile.

"Aren’t you all supposed to be asleep?” Eva attempted her best carefree voice, pulling her robe tighter around herself and giggling when she saw how Marinette and Damian jumped upon her interruption. 

“Though, I suppose I should be too.”

“Kinda hard to sleep with hearing a headboard slamming repetitively on the wall.” Tim shot Eva a glare, but Eva merely smiled back. She held his gaze, taking in his handsome face, yet the dark shadows under his eyes. Carefully, she swayed her hips as seductively as she could, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Well, Tim, if you ever wanna join in, I’m more than open to it.” She purred out, giving a flutter of his lashes. She felt her revenge was complete once his face went absolutely crimson. Without giving him another glance, she turned towards Marinette, who was still sipping from the mug. “Hey, sugar cookie, you okay?”

And at the haunted look in Marinette's eyes, Eva knew whatever words she was going to speak next were going to be lies.

…

As soon as Eva got back to the room,she found Jason still awake, still reading the book. Her lips quirked as she made her way over to him.

"I kind of seduced your brother." She spoke up, drawing his attention as she made her way towards the bed. "He was complaining about the noise."

"Tim always has something to complain about, don't worry about it. And I wish I could've been there to see his face."

“He went cherry red. Think he’d take me up on the offered threesome?” She stuck her tongue out at him when he gave her a look. 

“He’d have to be crazy not to take a chance with you.” 

A knock at the door stopped whatever Eva was about to say. She went quiet as she stood and slowly opened the door. There stood a red faced Tim.

Without saying a word, Eva grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulled him inside. Soon his clothes joined hers on the floor. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva faces old demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Warning for my readers: there is mentions of gore, suicide, and sexual abuse in this story. So if you don't want to deal with that, don't force yourselves to read. It's okay to skip over this chapter, and keep your mental state safe.

Eva awoke to the smell of something floral. She opened her eyes and caught sight of Jason setting a tray on his coffee table, a delicate tea set and a small plate of biscuits on it. When he caught sight of her, he gave her a smile and made his way to her, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. 

“I take it you slept well..” He murmured against her skin, grinning as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. His hands slid to her naked waist, pulling her body close as he began to pepper her neck with soft kisses. When he pulled back, he took in the sight of Eva, of her sleep messed hair, the traces of sleepiness in her eyes, and how amazing she looked in his bed. “I thought you’d like some tea this morning.”

“Mmm, is that what I’m smelling?” Eva purred softly as she slid out of the bed, picking up a discarded shirt of Jason’s off of the floor and tugged it on. She let Jason guide her over to his sofa, where he handed her a cup of the fragrant floral tea. “Well, Jason, I must say, you have amazing tastes.” 

Jason smiled at her in return, silently thankful for Alfred for his help in the tea selection. 

“I am going to be heading down to the training room this morning. Me and the others agree that since Cat Boy managed to kick our asses, we needed to maybe try some different types of training.” 

“Keep in mind, he was using that weird magic.” Eva pointed out, risking a glance over at where Trixx was resting, on a soft pillow on Jason’s dresser. “I probably would have been killed without Trixx there to help me. He’s a little cutie.”

“More cute than me?” Jason wriggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to grin in return.

“I’d say so.” At his stunned expression, she burst out into laughter, her shoulders shaking and her head thrown back. “I’d say you’re more rugged than cute, Jay.” 

“Well, I guess that’s an improvement. But since you’ve wounded my fragile ego, I say your punishment is that you’ve got to come work out with us down in the training center.” He took a sip of his own tea, making a slight grimace when he tasted it. He was really an Earl Grey kind of guy, but he’d be willing to deal with this stuff at least for the day. 

“Fine. But it’s a pity, I was hoping to go over the whole ‘Miraculous drama’ with Trixx, since I’m basically in the dark about the entire thing.” At Jason’s look, she gave a slight shake of her head. “I’m not asking Marinette, she’s in no way, shape, or form ready for that kind of stuff. I’ll wait until she’s.. Processed all that’s happened.”

The two were then silent for a long time, sipping tea and nibbling on the biscuits, enjoying the sight of the sun rising through the large bedroom windows, casting the room in a warm colour. Trixx sat up and stretched with a soft yawn, lazily flying over to his Chosen and taking his seat on her shoulder.

“Good morning, Trixx, how’d you sleep?” She nuzzled the little fox, who returned the gesture quite eagerly. “You’re looking quite well rested.” 

“I haven’t slept like that in a long time. I guess having such an amazing kit has its perks.” Trixx eagerly took the biscuit that Eva offered and took a big bite out of it.

"So, training today, hm? Anything else on the menu?" Eva took another sip of her tea, feeling the warmth of it spread through her body. She almost didn't want that moment to end, her and Jason sitting in his room, the peace and quiet while they enjoy the moment.

To Jason, there was something so unbelievably domestic about it. A spot of calm in the raging storm that was his life. And seated across from him was a woman he found himself wanting to have that moment with more often.

"I heard Bruce mentioning something about going down to the police station, seeing Agreste. I dunno, maybe let Marinette confront her fears." Jason shrugged.

".. Is that wise? Like, I'm not questioning your guys' judgement or anything, but that bastard only yesterday kidnapped her, basically almost killed her, shouldn't we give her some time and space away from him?" 

"He's going back to France soon, to be prosecuted there. From what I'd gathered from the friends I have at the police station, that teacher of theirs is trying to say it was all a big misunderstanding."

That brought a snort of Eva.

"That's a bunch of fucking bullshit, but no, of course Caline is going to try to get everything swept under the rug. And Adrien's fancy, rich lawyers are no doubt gonna work double time to get all charges dropped." Eva grumbled.

Jason merely sat back and watched as Eva grumbled to herself. He found it rather adorable how her brows drew together and how she was practically snarling. But what really caught his attention was the fire in her eyes. Eyes that always drew him in with how expressive they were, like some open book. He knew a hundred things about Eva, yet nothing at all.

"But I shouldn't stress over it. They're not worth it, and I'm sure that the universe is going to deliver a great dose of karma." She let out a huff, and drained her cup of her tea.

Jason merely smiled and finished off his own tea. It was going to be an interesting day.

…

A morning of being tossed around like a rag doll in the training room, an afternoon of having heart to hearts with Marinette, and Eva found herself here.

Lady Vixen knelt on the ledge of the roof she had managed to scramble to, her breathing coming out in short, fast bursts as she ran, ran as far and fast as she could. 

She had crossed a line, she had gone and manhandled Adrien, because that little bastard had reminded her so much of David, of a past she had practically fled Canada to get away from. A past she had tried so hard to hide. 

Vixen, practically blind to the world, buried her face in her hands and began to sob, unaware of the orange mist that began to swirl around her. 

The ringing of a school reached her ears. Her head snapped up to see a familiar, yet distant scene in front of her; her high school’s main lobby, the rush of student bodies, the laughter, the shoutings, the energy of the youth that was sure that they all had such bright futures in front of them.. And there she was, at the age of sixteen. Eva Bourbon pushing her way through the crowds, engrossed in her own thoughts of papers and other schoolwork that she barely noticed the guy in front of her. 

They had collided, she had dropped her books, he had dropped his cell phone. They had stumbled over apologies and had scurried to pick up their dropped items. They had made clumsy introductions, Eva to the tall, blond, handsome David with the darkest eyes she had ever seen. 

“No, don’t.. Fuck, get away from him..” Vixen croaked out as she watched her younger self, her more foolish self, flirt with David, watched as they exchanged numbers, and continued on their ways to their classes.

And her life began to rush by; David asking her out, their first date at a nice restaurant and then them going and watching an event at the town’s main park, David and Eva agreeing to go steady, David’s many lavish gifts, since the guy was rich and came from an important family that had far too much influence in the town. Vixen watched tearfully the first time Eva had slept with David; in the back seat of his fancy car, the young seventeen year old girl looking so nervous, wanting to back out and maybe try this another time, and David begging, smooth talking, wearing her down until young Eva finally gave in. She watched as Eva went home that night and cried herself to sleep, but told herself that it was fine, afterall, she and David were soulmates, she was supposed to give her virginity to her soulmate.

The two got married just out of highschool, moving into a nice large house with a white picket fence, paid for by David’s father. She watched as David’s father was arrested for fraud, amongst other things, and David lost his source of money. As Eva struggled with university and far too many jobs to count, as well as keeping a nice home. As David threw a fit as the two of them moved into a smaller house, because they just didn;t have the money, as he wasted money on drugs, alcohol, reminding Eva of a monster. 

And everytime she went to leave him, he threatened suicide, that he couldn’t live without her, that if he died it would be all her fault and everyone would hate her for it, so she stayed, scared for him, for her. Because, foolishly enough, she still loved David, she thought he was her soulmate.

“No, just fucking leave him..” Vixen buried her face in her hands once more, as she witnessed a scene, one of many, of David forcing himself on Eva. “Fucking go.. Fuck, leave, please.. Soulmates don’t exist, that’s fucking fairytales, it’s bullshit, grow up, grow up, grow up..”

And the day that Eva was finally fed up with David, finally let the scales fall from her eyes, and she packed her bags, shoving them into the trunk of her car. And just as she was about to get into her car, Eva heard her name. 

Vixen and Eva both turned their heads, watching as David pulled out a handgun, Eva having never seen it before in her life, and as he inserted the barrel into his mouth, and pulled the trigger. His blood and brains splattered on the white house wall.

It was a scene that still haunted Eva to this day, a scene she saw everytime she closed her eyes, everytime she went to sleep she dreamed of that. And years later, she saw clearly that he had just done that to hurt her. David had been a pathetic excuse of a man, he’d had no skills aside from spending his daddy’s money, he never would have gotten anywhere without her. 

…

Eva stepped through the front door of Wayne Manor. Everyone was standing in the front hall, watching her. She could see the questions in their eyes, see them noticing her red rimmed eyes, her rosy nose, her trembling lips. She even noticed Marinette taking a step towards her, reaching out a hand. But Jason was the one who made his way to her, and she threw herself into his arms, into a pair of arms she knew deep down would never aim to hurt her.

And a few minutes later, she was curled up in his bed, in his embrace, telling her story while he remained quiet and simply listened. Once she was done, he let out a heavy sigh. 

“If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him. Fuck, Eva.. I had no idea.” He murmured as he ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it away from her tearstained face. 

“Oh, you never looked into my background? Never found out I was a widow?” Eva let out a teary laugh, but it ran hollow, false. 

“I wanted to, you know, respect your privacy. I only did a background check for any arrests or if you were connected to anything suspicious.” He admitted. When Eva sat up to look at him, he cupped her face in her hands. “I guess we both have pretty fucked up pasts. I was killed by the Joker.”

“Yeah, really funny, Jason.” She went to roll her eyes, but the look on her face made her stop. “Wait.. No, fuck, Jay, are you serious?” 

And that was the night that the two of them bore the deepest parts of themselves to each other. And Eva made several appointments for Jason to see a therapist, as well as herself.


End file.
